


Alexander's Day

by mrpicard



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Next Generation (Movies)
Genre: Bartenders, Breakfast, Coffee, Dating, Dorks in Love, Early Mornings, Established Relationship, Evenings, Love, M/M, Morning Routines, Mornings, Naughty, Naughty Jean-Luc Picard is the best Jean-Luc Picard, Precious cargo, Starship Enterprise (Star Trek), True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-01-27 22:45:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12592188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrpicard/pseuds/mrpicard
Summary: A day in the life of a bartender who happens to date a starship captain.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks go to my friend Gordon, who asked me to write a fan fic that describes an ordinary day.
> 
> This fan fic makes enough sense on its own but it does belong to my [In These Arms](http://archiveofourown.org/series/79135) series.

_BEEP._

_BEEP._

_BEEP._

And then, some soft light.

Eww, light.

I make a muffled sound that is somewhat reminiscent of a grunt while Jean-Luc - bless him and his ability to jump out of bed at any given time - is already getting up next to me.

He knows me well enough by now to not address me at this point - I'm definitely not a morning person, which is something he had to learn the hard way right after we moved in together about half a year ago.

I pull the rest of the blanket over myself and close my eyes while the bathroom door opens and closes. All is quiet now, and I wish I could fall asleep again, but I never can - I'd miss Jean-Luc's soft snoring.

Isn't it weird how things you once thought of as a total turn-off in a potential partner turn out to be the exact opposite?

It doesn't take long for Jean-Luc to come out of the bathroom again - sonic showers are so annoyingly quick and efficient - and I smile slightly as he tries to be as quiet as possible while he rummages through his closet in search of what is no doubt a fresh set of briefs.

He _always_ forgets to replicate new briefs.

And then there are the bo-

I hear him curse softly - in French, naturally - as he stumbles over his boots. I'm used to detecting and then evading stuff in my way - it's a must-have requirement for me as a bartender - but he isn't, and I can almost set the clock to when it's time for him to stumble over his boots in the morning because he always forgets where he put them the evening before.

I smile broadly now - if the crew knew that their oh-so-efficient captain actually stumbles over his boots every morning and forgets to replicate new briefs every other day...

I force myself not to giggle at this particular thought and wait for Jean-Luc to finish dressing himself. As soon as he has managed to do that, he leaves the bedroom and the door closes behind him.

I take a deep breath, turn onto my back, open my eyes and cross my arms behind my head while my stomach rumbles, reminding me that I haven't eaten anything in the past 12 hours. Not that I'm actually hungry - eating something right now is absolutely out of the question - but a rumbling stomach is yet another factor that prevents me from falling asleep again.

And besides, there _is_ the prospect of having a quick breakfast with Jean-Luc, and since I won't see him again until this afternoon or _much_ later than that if something unexpected happens - or maybe even never if the ship gets blown up - I have vowed to myself to take these kinds of chances when they present themselves.

I get up slowly and look for my pajama pants - they got lost somewhere in the heat of the 'encounter' that Jean-Luc and I had late last night after I returned from my night shift and 'accidentally' woke him up - and once I've found them I put them on and walk out of the bedroom, looking like the ghostly mess that I am.

"Morning," I yawn.

Jean-Luc looks at me, smiles and then takes a plate with a chocolate croissant and a cup of coffee out of the replicator. "Good morning, Alexander. Did I wake you?"

I wave my hand. "It's okay."

He walks over to the table and puts his plate and the coffee cup on it. "Sit down. Would you like some mint tea?"

"That would be awesome," I yawn again and slowly make my way to the breakfast table, where I slump into the chair next to his while he walks over to the replicator, orders mint tea, takes the cup and then comes back, places it right in front of me and then sits down as well and bites into his croissant.

"I'll never understand how you're able to have breakfast at this unholy hour," I remark while I slowly take a sip of tea - it's the only thing I can keep down this early in the morning.

"I have to be able to do so," he munches. "I can't exactly sit on the bridge with a cup of coffee."

"They used to do that, you know." I lean back in my chair and rub my tired eyes. "Back in Kirk's day, a yeomen would bring fresh coffee to the bridge."

Jean-Luc shakes his head and takes a huge sip of coffee before he answers. "I'm glad this tradition died off somewhere along the way - I would feel rather uncomfortable with it. We're Starfleet officers, and a bridge is not a bar." He looks at me. "No offense."

"I'm too tired to take offense," I yawn again and take another sip from my tea.

Jean-Luc wipes a few crumbs off his uniform. "Speaking of Eleven Forward... today is Delivery Day, isn't it?"

 _That_ gets my attention. "How the hell did you -"

"In case you forgot, I'm the captain of this ship."

"I haven't forgotten, but looking through supply ship manifests is really not something a captain usually bothers with."

"I bother."

I roll my eyes. "You and your sense of duty."

He smiles pleasantly. "It keeps me on my toes."

"Yeah, well... since you know the box is coming, you can just as easily forget about its presence."

He sighs and munches down the rest of his croissant before he opens his mouth again. "You know, if Starfleet Command ever finds out -"

"They have more important things to focus on than a box of illegal drinks."

"You don't know Starfleet Command."

"A status I'd like to keep that way," I retort.

Jean-Luc shakes his head and leans back in his chair with his coffee cup in his hands. "At least your day will be more eventful than mine. Charting a nebula is hardly what I would call exciting."

I make a face. "It's better than ending up in the middle of a battle."

"We haven't had one of those in quite a while," he remarks.

" _Another_ status I'd like to keep that way."

He smiles, empties his coffee cup and puts it back on the table. "I should get going... when does your shift start?"

"In two hours." I yawn again. "I hope I'll actually be awake until then."

Jean-Luc gets up from his chair, takes the plate and the cup and puts both items into the replicator. "I could visit you after my shift and make sure you haven't fallen asleep behind the bar...?"

"Very funny."

He turns around and raises an eyebrow. "What - no 'are you going to discipline me if I've fallen asleep behind the bar' joke?"

"I'm too tired." I lean back in my chair. "But I _do_ like the part that involves you coming by for a visit."

He smiles again. "I'll see what I can do."


	2. Chapter 2

After a shower and dressing decently I sit down to have a look at the Federation News Network, check out some witty remarks on CommChatter and then, finally, update my SubspacePADD page. I had to promise Jean-Luc to keep the setting on "friends only" and to not upload _too_ many personal pictures - dating the flagship's captain comes with the responsibility to keep up a certain appearance - but otherwise I'm good to go.

I put my feet up, adjust my SubspacePADD timeline to show me the latest news and the first thing I see is an ad in screaming colors:

**_COME TO QUARK'S BAR ON DEEP SPACE NINE AND ENJOY THE LATEST BEACH PLEASURE PROGRAM! LIMITED SUPPLY ONLY!_ **

I snort - the naughty beach program Jean-Luc and I tested a few weeks ago seems to have made it onto Quark's list of "I can sell this to lonely Starfleet officers". The 'limited supply only' thing is utter bullshit, of course, but then, Quark is an absolute master when it comes to selli-

The door chimes.

A visitor? This early in the morning?

"Yes?"

The door opens and reveals a nervous-looking Geordi LaForge. "Morning, Alex."

"Hey, Geordi. Come in."

He looks around before he slowly walks in, displaying a typical behavior pattern I've noticed ever since I've moved in here - every single one of Jean-Luc's officers hesitates briefly before they walk into his quarters, even when they know for sure he's not here.

The door closes behind our trusted chief engineer. "I have to ask you something."

I frown. "This couldn't wait until later? My shift starts in about an hour."

"No, it's too personal to talk about in a crowded bar."

"Now you've made me curious." I switch off the PADD. "What is it?"

"You're getting new drinks today, right?"

I raise my hands in exasperation. "Is there anyone aboard this ship who _doesn't_ know about the drinks?"

Geordi shrugs.

I put my hands down. "Alright, go on."

"I'm planning a romantic dinner with Lieutenant Guster, and she's told me she loves Romulan Ale, and..." He breaks off, a pleading look on his face.

"You want a bottle," I conclude.

"I hate asking on such short notice, but I want to surprise her, and -"

"It's for a good cause, huh?"

He nods.

I sigh inwardly - who am I to stand in the way of a date? "Okay, the bottle is yours."

"Thank you," Geordi beams. "I owe you one."

"A _big_ one," I correct.

"A big one," he agrees.


	3. Chapter 3

I walk into Eleven Forward, eager to start my shift - and my good mood fades immediately when a nervous-looking Jay appears in front of me.

"Alex, I'm so glad you're here," he pants. "Ensign Mador from security just called. He's confiscated your drinks - he's new, and it seems no one's told him yet to look the other way when a delivery from Quark arrives for you."

_Wonderful._

"Where is he?"

"Cargo bay three - I've managed to convince him to talk to you before he makes an official report but I don't know for how long -"

"Thanks, Jay. I'll handle it."

I turn around and quickly walk out of the bar and right back to the turbolift.

So much for a peaceful shift.

  
************

  
  
I reach cargo bay three after a rather embarrassing run through quite a few corridors and am greeted by the sight of a young Benzite security officer named Mador, who is standing next to my delivery with a tricorder in his hands.

_Play it cool now, Al, play it cool..._

I walk up to him. "Hi, Ensign Mador."

He looks up. "Hello - oh, you must be Mr. Alexander, the bartender."

"Yes - but please, call me Alex," I correct - I've gotten too used to no one but Jean-Luc calling me by my full name.

"This delivery is for you but it is incorrectly marked," Mador says and points at the package in question. "It says 'empty bottles inside', but a tricorder scan reveals it contains bottles filled with strange alcoholic substances. I'm unable to make a full scan, however - there's a scattering field that prevents me from taking accurate tricorder readings."

"It's just a shipment of drinks," I say as innocently as I can.

"Yes, but I am unable to determine what kind of drinks - cargo that contains possibly hazardous liquids has to be reported to the captain immediately."

I take a deep breath. "Ensign... you're new here, right?"

He nods. "Yes."

"This is the first time you're handling new cargo, right?"

"Yes."

_Confuse him, confuse him..._

I rub my hands together. "What would be the procedure aboard a Benzite ship?"

"I would contact the receiver of the shipment and talk to them. After that, I would report my solution to the captain," Mador says. "However, this is not standard procedure aboard a Starfleet vessel - here, anything unusual must be reported immediately."

"Then why didn't you do so?"

He looks down. "I accidentally went with the first step of Benzite procedure - contacting the receiver - before I remembered official Starfleet procedure. It was an error, which I intend to rectify by contacting the captain as soon as possible."

_The hell you will._

"You did fine, Mador," I say and smile my most engaging smile. "Calling the receiver is actually the correct procedure for an unusual delivery like this one."

"Really?"

_Here we go..._

"Yes, because this is a delivery for me - a civilian - and not official Starfleet cargo. The usual rules therefore don't apply."

"That is highly irregular," Mador remarks. "Is the captain aware of this?"

_Oh, crap._

"I'd never bother an important man like the captain with something as trivial as this," I say, hoping that Mador has lived under a rock on his previous assignment and doesn't know yet that Jean-Luc and I are an item.

I'm in luck.

"You do not wish to disturb him," Mador concludes.

"Exactly. Trust me, this package will disappear in no time and there will be nothing to officially investigate - and we wouldn't want to embarrass the captain, now would we?"

"I suppose not..."

"Glad we agree," I smile. "Thanks for taking care of this."

Mador nods slowly, confusion still all over his face.

I grab the anti-grav unit with the package on it and pull it with me and out of the cargo bay.

As soon as the doors have closed behind me, I reach for the nearest comm panel.

"Alex to Burke."

A few seconds pass before a sleepy voice answers. " _Burke here...?_ "

"Colin, I'm sorry to disturb you, I know you had the night shift, but it's important. One of your new guys just almost reported my latest shipment of drinks."

" _Oh, no. Who?_ "

"Ensign Mador."

Colin groans. " _Not **that** name again...! He's been doing all kinds of idiotic things ever since he's arrived. Mordock is trying to help him adjust, but somehow it's not really working..._ "

"Could you talk to him, please?" I press. "I don't trust him to keep quiet - he's confused now but I have a feeling he'll end up reporting this after all, and the last thing I want is for Jean-Luc to be forced to open an investigation."

" _I'll call him right now._ "

"Thanks."

" _You're welcome._ " A pause. " _Did you get the Sheliak bourbon I wanted?_ "

"It's right here."

" _Great. Thank you, Alex._ "

"Anytime, Col."


	4. Chapter 4

 

"Bad day?" Jean-Luc asks from behind his desk and looks up from his PADD - the fact that I haven't been very talkative ever since I got back from my shift has not been lost on him.

"Sort of, yes - I had to prevent a major catastrophe earlier."

Jean-Luc puts down his PADD. "What happened?"

"Mador almost reported my drink shipment to you."

"Mador as in Ensign Mador? The new Benzite security officer?"

"The very same."

Jean-Luc frowns. "Martin mentioned something to me about him the other day. He seems to have trouble settling in...?"

"That's _one_ way of putting it," I reply grumpily.

Jean-Luc gets up from his chair, walks over to the couch and sits down next to me. "So _that's_ why you were seen running through the corridors with a panicked expression on your face."

"This isn't funny," I retort. " _Your_ ass was at stake as well - imagine if he had called you and you'd have had to order an official investigation!"

"I _did_ warn you about your illegal drink shipments only this morning."

I roll my eyes. "Thanks for your support."

He smiles, reaches out his hand and puts it on mine. "I didn't get a report from Ensign Mador, so I believe it's safe to say it all went well in the end...?"

"Colin took care of it, yes. Still, I really could have done without all this."

Jean-Luc leans over, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Is there anything I can do to improve your mood?"

I can't help but smile - I love it when he displays the one side of his personality that only I may see. "Mmm... there just _might_ be..."


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm _so_ not fond of having to get up early tomorrow," I sigh, put the sonic toothbrush in my mouth and switch it on.

Jean-Luc, who also has his sonic toothbrush in his mouth, looks at me in the mirror. "Youcouldschooseanotherschift."

"Mm-mm," I mutter. "CantalwayschletJaydothemorningschift."

Jean-Luc takes out his toothbrush and switches it off. "I thought you told me Jay likes to get up early...?"

I take my toothbrush out as well, switch it off and put it on the sink. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I should let him to do it every morning."

"Hmm, true." Jean-Luc puts his toothbrush on the sink next to mine. "Well, I for one shall sleep in tomorrow."

I poke his arm. "Sure, rub it in, why don't you?"

"Hey," he complains.

"Oh come on, this didn't hurt. Besides, you could have prevented me from even touching you - where are your famous Starfleet reflexes?"

"I must have used them all up earlier on the couch," he remarks innocently.

I grin. "I hope they come back soon."

Jean-Luc returns the grin. "I think they're already on their way."

"Then... let's go to bed?"

"Agreed."


End file.
